Oreca 07
The dominant LMP2 chassis since its 2017 debut.
United Autosports · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Oreca 07 is a Le Mans Prototype built by French manufacturer Oreca to comply with the 2017 FIA/ACO LMP2 rules. It first raced at the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona, the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and made its FIA World Endurance Championship debut at the 2017 6 Hours of Silverstone. It replaces the Oreca 05. Thanks to its strong performance and reliability compared to other LMP2 cars, the 07 has become the top choice for racing teams, attracting more buyers each year since its launch, including those switching from other manufacturers.
Development of the car began with the Oreca 05, which was built with knowledge of the new 2017 LMP2 technical rules. Using lessons from the 05’s performance, Oreca decided to create a new car based on that predecessor, aiming to maximize performance by focusing on energy and resource use. This approach allowed teams to update their Oreca 05s affordably. The 07’s chassis is largely based on the 05, with less priority given to developing a new monocoque. It uses a Gibson GK428 V8 engine producing 600 hp, though power was reduced by 60 hp in 2020 after the Le Mans Hypercar regulations were announced. The car completed its first factory shakedown test in late October 2016 at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Because of this development strategy, the 07 quickly became the most dominant car in its class in 2017. After the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, its performance gap over the field led the Automobile Club de l’Ouest to allow rival LMP2 brands—Dallara, Ligier, and Riley/Multimatic—to create extensive upgrade packages to match the Oreca 07, while preventing Oreca from doing the same. Despite these efforts, the 07 continued to succeed, leading teams to strongly favor Oreca over other brands when choosing a chassis for LMP2 racing. Oreca still sees strong demand for the 07, with over 140 cars built by 2025, including chassis for the Acura ARX-05 program, updated Oreca 05s, and rebadged Alpine and Aurus cars. The 100th chassis (technically the 99th, as number 13 was skipped) was delivered to Cool Racing for the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans and later displayed at Oreca’s showroom.
Variations include the Acura ARX-05, created for IMSA’s Prototype class under DPi regulations through a partnership between Honda Performance Development and Oreca.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Oreca
- Class
- LMP2
- Debut
- 2017 24 Hours of Daytona
- Predecessor
- Oreca 05
- Successor
- Oreca 09 (set for 2028)
- Total built
- Over 140 (as of 2025)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The preparation of the prototype traces back to the development of the Oreca 05. The 05 was developed with the consideration of what the factory knew about the new technical rules for the LMP2 class in the FIA World Endurance Championship for 2017. Taking prior knowledge from the Oreca 05's performance into account, Oreca decided to develop a new car and base it around the predecessor. Their goal was to maximize the performance by focusing on the energy and resource usage. The team opted to use this strategy not only to build a car based on a proven predecessor, but also to allow teams to update their Oreca 05 race cars within financial reason. The chassis of the Oreca 07 is mainly based on the 05, with its monocoque taking less of a priority to develop. The Oreca 07 came equipped with a Gibson GK428 V8 engine producing 600 hp. Years later in 2020, power output was decreased by 60 hp following the announcement of the Le Mans Hypercar regulations. The car performed its first factory shakedown test in late October 2016 at Circuit Paul Ricard.
As a result of Oreca's development direction, the 07 quickly became the most dominant car in its class in 2017. After the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, the car's sheer performance difference against the field prompted the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to allow the rival LMP2 brands, Dallara, Ligier, and Riley/Multimatic, to create extensive upgrade packages to match the performance of the Oreca 07 while also preventing Oreca from doing so in the process. Despite such attempts, the Oreca 07 continued to succeed as a chassis, which has also resulted in teams heavily favouring Oreca over other brands when selecting a chassis to compete with in LMP2 racing. Oreca continue to receive healthy demand for the 07, with over 140 cars developed by Oreca as of 2025, which includes chassis for the Acura ARX-05 programme, updated Oreca 05 race cars, and rebadged Alpine and Aurus cars. The 100th chassis (though technically the 99th due to skipping the number 13) was delivered to Cool Racing for the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans and later displayed at Oreca's showroom.
Reader's Guide
The Oreca 07's significance lies in its near-total market dominance in LMP2 racing from its introduction onward. Since first launching in 2017, nearly all teams competing in series featuring an LMP2 class or similar have used the Oreca 07. Its success prompted the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to allow rival manufacturers to develop upgrade packages to close the performance gap, while preventing Oreca from doing the same. Despite these measures, the 07 continued to succeed as a chassis, and teams heavily favoured Oreca over other brands when selecting a chassis. The car's legacy extends beyond its own model line: Oreca built variants for other manufacturers, including the Acura ARX-05 for IMSA's DPi class, the Alpine A470 for the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Aurus 01 for the European Le Mans Series, and the Rebellion R13/Alpine A480 for LMP1 and Hypercar classes. The R13 and A480 routinely competed against Toyota in four seasons of competition for the overall FIA World Endurance Championship titles, finishing 2nd overall in all four occasions across both iterations. The Oreca 07 is set to be succeeded by the Oreca 09 to meet the 2028 FIA/ACO LMP2 regulations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who built the Oreca 07 and what class does it compete in?
The Oreca 07 is a Le Mans Prototype designed and manufactured by the French firm Oreca, built to satisfy the 2017 FIA/ACO regulations for the LMP2 category. It is the direct successor to the earlier Oreca 05.
Why has the Oreca 07 become the go-to LMP2 chassis for teams?
Since its 2017 introduction the 07 has consistently matched or beaten rival LMP2 cars in both outright pace and race reliability. That reputation has steadily pulled in more teams each year, including crews that previously ran chassis from other manufacturers.
What will replace the Oreca 07?
The Oreca 09 is set to take over as the LMP2 chassis in 2028, ending the 07's long tenure as the class's dominant car. Until then, the 07 remains the most widely used prototype in the LMP2 field around the world.
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